


A Second Chance

by NicoleFireKitty



Category: P5R, Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series, p5
Genre: Gen, Phantom Thieves - Freeform, Time - Freeform, Time Loop, Time warp, reset
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicoleFireKitty/pseuds/NicoleFireKitty
Summary: ☆*:.｡. Hiatus, Sorry! .｡.:*☆The Phantom Thieves have lost.Humanity has lost.Two worlds have merged.There is a second chance however.Only... the Trickster doesn't remember...Someone else does.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 65





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time making fanfiction so I'm not sure how all this works so hopefully I don't royally fuck this all up.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the prologue.

Continuous blood-like rain falls from the unnatural sky, staining the ground red. Massive, horrid structures made of bone pierce out from the ground, reaching high. Screams and cries of terror fill the air of Shibuya.

High above the buildings, a large, imposing, terrifying figure of gold looms above a platform. Multiple figures lay strewn about, unmoving.

A loud, deep, uncaring laugh filled the air,

** "FOOLISH HUMANS. YOU COULD NEVER WIN THIS GAME." **

"No!"

A voice rung out in the now silent world.

Collapsed down on the ground with pain clear on his face, his black clothes tattered and torn from battle stares back up at the False God in defiance.

** "HUMANITY HAS ALREADY LOST. THERE IS NO HOPE." **

"We won't back down!"

His voice cracking.

** "WE?" **

It laughs in a sharp, mocking tone.

"Joker, hang on!"

A weak voice crys as a small cat-like creature limps up to the figure collapsed on the ground, Joker.

Joker looks up at him as he tries to stand but still falls. He looks back at the where the other Phantom Thieves were.

Bodies.

Joker bit back tears and looks back up to the figure above him.

"Morgana..."

He coughs out.

"Don't talk!" 

The cat-like creature, Morgana fretted.

** "DIVINE APEX." **

A red glow began to shine above the two. "No..." Morgana breathes out. 

Morgana immediately begins to prepare a Mediarahan but it's too late.

** "RAYS OF CONTROL." **

A loud booming voice rings out and the red glow increases to a blinding rate.

Pain.

That's all he felt. Nothing but pain wracking throughout his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hngg im not good at pacing my writing so bare with me
> 
> i cant guarantee a good update schedule :P


	2. Waking up in the Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in essentially hell; not a fun time.

Pain raced through every inch of his body as consciousness returned. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting blinding light but instead there was blurry darkness.

_ Huh? _

As his vision began to clear, he stared at the ceiling high above him. Intricate red lines laced the ceiling and stretching down through the walls down to the floors.

_ What's going on? _

A wave of fear overtook his body as he realized where he was. The designs and the overbearing feeling of human cognition a dead give away.

_ The Mementos depths?! _

_ Why am I here? _

Suddenly, as he sat up, the air became suffocating as he looked up while gasping for breath as a loud,  metal slam echoed out from behind him. He whipped around to see a red door blocked by long, thin steel bars.

He meekly raised his arms and looked down, eyeing his little white paws.

"Iweleth..?" Morgana gasped out in a raspy, unused voiced. Last he remembered, he was high up in the sky as Mementos and reality fused. How did he end up so deep?

_ Where is everyone?! _

He thought in a panic, quickly swiveling his large head around, doing  _ wonders _ for his headache.

_ That's right... we were fighting Yaldabaoth... but everyone... _

He felt Zoro crying within him in sorrow. "Then how..." he managed to say through his sore throat, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

How is he here? Is this the afterlife? No, it feels too real, too alive. Suddenly, the pain throughout Morgana's body began to subside as a voice echoed within his head alongside a barely visible blue butterfly fluttering weakly.

**_ "A second chance to make things right." _ **

_ Huh? _

**_ "Find the Trickster once again." _ **

_ A second chance? Find the Trickster? Does that mean he's still alive?! _

Morgana nodded, still not sure what's going on, but if his best friend is still alive then he'll make sure to find him.

He turned from the door and spotted his weapons, Claiomh Solais and Sudarshana. He darted over to them, inspected them quickly before grabbing them and running out to escape Mementos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why do the mementos depths have to look so pretty?
> 
> im posting this pretty soon after the prologue since this chapter is also setting things up so no point in delaying it.


	3. Chance Encounter in Mementos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New timeline, who dis?

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter.

Morgana walked along the long, maze-like tunnels of Mementos. He missed driving around these expanses with ease, but with no driver he was stuck walking.

The groans and wails of shadows echoing farther in this floor turned into sharp growls, then screams, and then nothing.

"Huh?"

Morgana stopped and listened for why they would stop.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

_ Footsteps..? _

Something solid enough to make sounds while walking was close by as it casually traversed along the gravel floor. Morgana peeked around the corner he was at in curiosity.

A dark, human sized figure was walking a normal pace down the tunnel towards Morgana. It stopped as soon as Morgana peeked out and stared back. Or at least he figured it was staring, considering it was wearing a strangely shaped mask.

"Don't think I don't see you over there!" It shouted out in a warning tone. Morgana flinched and cautiously stepped out, getting a better look at the figure. His body froze and he stared wide-eyed at the stranger.

"What the hell are you?" the stranger asked suspiciously. "Definitely not human... and you don't seem like a shadow..." he said in a now questioning tone.

Morgana stared at him, holding his breath. He knew who this was. He knew that voice. He knew that outfit.

_ Akechi?! But he's dead! _

"Do... do you not blink?" Akechi asked rhetorically and began to walk forward. He didn't seem threatening despite being in his actual outfit.

Morgana backed up at the same pace, knowing that alone, he can't fight him. Akechi stopped causing Morgana to stop. Realizing he was holding his breath, he gulped for air, earning a slight snicker from his enemy.

"Who are you? You seem sentient enough." Akechi asked in a sarcastic tone. Morgana looked at him in confusion.

_ He seems alive... does he not remember? That voice said a 'second chance'... is everyone alive? Does... no one remember? _

Akechi tilted his head in confusion, "Uhh...". He sighed and clicked his tongue, "Tch.", he raised his serrated sword and pointed it at Morgana. "No point in talking to something if it can't talk." he smirked.

"W-wait!" Morgana panicked. Akechi lowered his blade slightly. "I-I don't know who you are," he lies, "but I just want to get past, please!" Morgana watches as Akechi ponders what he just heard.

"Who are you?" he asks again, expecting an answer. Morgana freezes.

_ Give him my name? B-but what if he does something bad because he'll know my name?! _

Akechi takes a step forward, attempting and succeeding to threaten Morgana. "M-my name is Mona." He's not exactly lying, "What's yours?" he asks a dangerous question. "You don't need to know that." he quickly replies earning a pout from Morgana.

Akechi looks back behind him, "I'm feeling generous at the moment so I'll tell you now." he sheaths his sword, "That way is a dead end.". He looks back to Morgana, "To be honest, I'm quite lost myself." he chuckles.

Morgana mentally scowls at Akechi feigning politeness. An idea pops into Morgana's head. A very, very dangerous and stupid idea. "I'm also lost, if you couldn't tell... if you're trying to go up then," Morgana pauses realizing that he's playing with fire... or with a sociopathic teenage hitman, "then do you want to join together until we get out?".

Akechi stared at him, causing Morgana to feel incredibly nervous, thinking he just threw his life away. "Alright." Akechi smiles, "That's quite a clever idea.". Morgana sighed in relief. He didn't realize that during that quick moment, Akechi had closed the gap between the two and was now crouching right in front on him.

"Eep!" Morgana yelped out as a clawed glove made contact with the top of his head. "Ah!" Akechi pulled his hand away, "I apologize, it's just you look very cat-like and I was curious if I could pet you.". Morgana glares at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feral bastard boy is here.


	4. Separate Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two idiots walk for a very long time.

The next few hours made Morgana  really regret asking to team up briefly. It was just straight up stressful even being near a person ripping through Shadows for the sheer delight and pleasure of it; a terrifying feeling of bloodlust emanating from him.

Luckily they were nearing the top of Aiyatsbus, meaning Morgana wouldn't have to deal with Akechi all that much longer. Honestly, they could've been out a lot sooner if Morgana had transformed into the Monabus, but there was no way he was letting Akechi drive him around.

Akechi stood up from being crouched over a mangled shadow, "I can tell we're much closer to the top by now, it's much easier to deal with these damned things." he said in an uncomfortably satisfied tone. Morgana nodded, not wanting to get on his bad side.

"Hey Mona," Akechi said suddenly, catching Morgana's attention immediately, "I asked this before but... What are you? You're not human and you don't feel like a Shadow...", he trailed off on his question, but he clearly expected an answer.

"Uh...," Morgana knew what he was now, but Akechi didn't need to, "I don't really know either...", he shrugged, hoping not to incur the wrath of the sociopath in front of him. Akechi gave a look of annoyance, but left it at that.

___

Finally, after another hour, they were nearing the top of Qimranut, which meant Morgana would be free of Akechi and also able to figure what was going on. He had pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind to focus on staying alive, but now they were back at full force.

As the two walked silently, with only the quiet groans and whispers of Shadows and their steady footsteps to listen to, Morgana's mind wandered.

_ What exactly is going on? Is this some sort of cruel joke by Yaldabaoth? How can a dead man be alive and next to me? Are the others alive? Is humanity alive? _

His thoughts began spiraling out of control, which Akechi must've noticed, "Mona? Are you alright? You've been mumbling to yourself for a while now."

"Just a lot on my mind right now." Morgana gave a quick answer, not wanting to deal with him right now. He saw Akechi nod out of the corner of his eye.

They continued in silence, even when running into the few weak shadows on their path, Akechi wouldn't go after them. Morgana figured he was refraining due to it wasting time and energy, and by now, they were both exhausted.

They found another platform and went up the escalator, ending up at the entrance. "Finally!" Morgana cried out as he slumped against the wall, needing a well earned rest. Akechi looked at him like he wanted to say something but held back, he was clearly wavering as well.

"Well... we've managed to get to the top." Akechi began, "Our deal is done now, goodbye.", he turned away from Morgana and headed to the exit, "Maybe we'll meet again.", he held up his hand in a sort of farewell as he held up his phone in the other to leave.

"Thanks for not killing me!" Morgana shouted out before Akechi had started to fade out of Mementos. He let out a small laugh and was gone.

_ I should leave too. I need to find everyone. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realize that having these two meet so early might be detrimental because akechi might recognize morgana's voice at the tv station but i had the chance to indulge and i took it (っ〃ㆁ◡ㆁ〃)っ♡


	5. Everything is Fine?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana discovers time travel is thing.

Morgana realized as he stood up, that Akechi didn't walk out of Mementos, he faded out implying reality was fine.

Morgana ran up to where the exit was and focused intently on reality. Everything started to feel woozy, as if he was falling. Morgana's eyes snapped back open and he was out and standing in Station Square.

Fresh air. Clear skies. Humans hurrying back and forth. Everything was... fine? No traces of Mementos other than his fading dizziness. He looked around and was almost run over by a distracted business man. "Damn cat!" he mumbled as he continued on without a second glance.

_ Cat? Oh, that's right. I have the body of a cat in the real world. _

Morgana ran out of the main pathway to process everything. Mementos and reality were separate. No sign of humans disappearing. With everything that's happened so far; that voice and the butterfly, Akechi coming back from the dead, and the whole deal with Mementos and reality, something otherworldly is happening.

_ Is this what that voice meant by a 'second chance'? _

Morgana shook his head, he didn't believe in time travel but all this? Maybe he should start to. "Kitty!" a young girls voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw a young girl pointing at him with a giant smile and a lack of adult supervision. She began a mad dash towards Morgana.

"Shit." Morgana cursed and ran into the crowd before the little girl could crush him with a bear hug. He immediately regretted using the crowd as cover since, due to his short stature, he was now lost within this jungle of moving legs. He managed to maneuver his way through the crowd, ending up at the Buchiko statue and hiding behind it, letting out a sigh of relief.

_ I need to find someone I recognize! If time really has gone back then... is Akira here? Are the others? How far back was I sent? _

Morgana had his eyes clamped shut and expression furrowed as best a cat could. He opened his eyes, giving up on making sense of everything at this moment, and realized a couple of people were watching a 'very grumpy looking cat'.

He shook his head and delved back into the now lighter crowd, instinctually heading towards the stairs covered by a metal roof. Luckily the little girl was gone as he went down the stairs into the underground walkway, so he didn't have to run.

Morgana snuck around pillars and darted through legs heading towards the train that led towards Yongen-Jaya. He figured Akira wouldn't be there yet but he had to make sure. As he neared the tracks, a guard spotted him and tried to catch him but was too slow as the train arrived and opened its doors.

Morgana sped inside and hid between the legs of the sardines of Tokyo. The guard gave up immediately and turned; Morgana sighed in relief. No way he would be deterred from his probably not important at the moment mission.

___

As the train neared and stopped at its destination, Morgana ran out as soon as the doors opened. Heading up the stairs and rushing into the town of his home for almost a year, a wave of nostalgia and bittersweet rushed through him.

_ No! I can't get distracted. _

He walked down the familiar streets towards Leblanc. The sign read 'Open', but he didn't enter. Morgana just peered inside, looking at Sojiro talking to some customers. A pang of guilt hit him as he knew he shouldn't enter, but he really wanted to. He steeled himself as he turned back to walk towards the station, not noticing Sojiro had looked up and saw Morgana outside.

He would make sure nothing bad would happen to anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sojiro after akira brings morgana home: wait a damn minute.


	6. School Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat stalks high school girls.

Morgana hadn't realized it had gotten dark until he was right at the entrance to the station. He looked around for somewhere to curl up for the night, not wanting to sleep in the train station. After wandering a bit he found a small shelter he could jump up into.

He did exactly that, curled up, and watched as a few people lingering around chatted. "Oh man, what's with all these accidents lately?" one of them asked, not sounding all that concerned. "Wasn't there a serious truck accident like a week ago?" the other one remarked. Morgana lifted his head at that.

_ Must've be him... _

Morgana huffed. Even if he knew that bastard's reasons, straight up murder and causing breakdowns was wrong. He shook his head and laid it back down, covering his ears with his paws. He didn't want to listen to that somehow casually dark conversation anymore.

___

The sounds of birds and sunlight woke Morgana up. "Urgghh.." he groaned, not wanting to move. The exhaustion from Mementos hit him like a truck once he had settled down. He forced himself to slide out of his little hidey hole, landing on his feet with a bit a wobble. He didn't feel like he had rested at all but there was nothing he could do about that.

Morgana took a few moments to decide what to do while he stretched. He should probably check around Aoyama-Itchome, since maybe Shujin Academy would help him get some answers.

___

Wandering the streets of Aoyama-Itchome didn't particularly help with anything so Morgana decided to head over to Shujin. Except... he was lost.

Akira had never really wandered around this place too much; only coming here to go to school and Morgana really only knew the places Akira had been to.

It's not like he could ask for directions, so he retraced his steps carefully, paying attention to his surroundings but ended up getting distracted by something beautiful. It was  her.

Up ahead, walking alongside her friend, Lady Ann. Morgana's heart skipped a beat. They were both in their school outfits.

_ It's a school day? _

They were happily chatting about something he couldn't make out, but he could clearly see her friend, Shiho, battered and bruised. An anger boiled within Morgana.

_ I really have been sent back in time... haven't I... _

Morgana realized he could hide and follow them to school so he could investigate. So he did just that; he felt a little bad for basically stalking the two girls but at least no one would notice, considering he's a cat. He laughed internally at that thought, since he had spent so long vehemently denying that fact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont think it was ever said if the truck accident with kasumi and sumire was a mental breakdown or not, but morgana would probably immediately jump to that conclusion.


	7. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ["Uhh, I-I'm t-the uhh..." Morgana stuttered, trying to come up with an out.]
> 
> Don't worry, he's the plumber.

When they finally arrived, Morgana clambered over the wall and darted around to stake out in the courtyard.

_ Maybe I can find something that can tell me the date? _

Under the bush he had hidden himself under, Morgana watched as students rushed past to get to their classes. It was honestly quite boring and Morgana felt himself start to slip. Eventually he fell asleep.

___

The loud ringing of the lunch bell woke him up with a start. "Ah!" Morgana yelped as he jumped to his feet on high alert, fur standing up and his back arched. Realizing it was just the school bell, he calmed but still felt an uncomfortable anxiety building within him. He looked over to the pathway that connected the buildings.

A boiling disgust bubbled inside his chest as he spotted a certain someone. There he was, the human pig with a shovel for a chin, Kamoshida. Morgana's face twisted as he watched him walk over to a group of female students and began a conversation, clearly butting into their own.

The girls looked obviously uncomfortable but no one walking by did anything, or even cared. Morgana had half a mind to run over there and bite into that bastard's leg. Suddenly a sense of wooziness hit but he didn't notice it, he was more focused on the P.E teacher. Morgana stood up, wanting to do something but he knew he'd probably get kicked if he ran over.

He turned and headed towards where he snuck in, his thoughts completely on how to deal with Kamoshida at this current moment. That wooziness hit again, this time Morgana noticed.

_ Huh? _

He stopped and looked around. By now he was outside and standing near the school gate. Everything started to gain a red tinge and felt distorted. Morgana turned to look back at the school.

_ Right... the palace... _

Stood before him was, instead of Shujin Academy, Kamoshida's castle of lust.

_ Still disgusting, even from the outside. _

Morgana noticed he was in his Metaverse form which meant he was inside the palace proper and not just seeing a haze. He clenched his jaw and walked carefully inside. The interior was as extravagant as before and he hated it.

The ceiling reached high with multiple over the top chandeliers hanging low, lighting the entire foyer with an admittedly pretty rug on the floor. Two sets of stairs at the back of room lead up to an extremely narcissistic painting of Kamoshida, with two balcony pathways looking over the room on the side walls.

Morgana could the clanking of armor as guards patrolled the two pathways. A small group came parading out of a door to his left and immediately noticed him.

_ Shit. _

"Hey! Who are you!" one of them shouted in Morgana's direction. His ears flattened against his head as he realized his mistake. He wasn't noticed like this last time. The guards up top must've noticed the commotion as they began to gather to watch. "Uhh, I-I'm t-the uhh..." Morgana stuttered, trying to come up with an out. "Capture the intruder!" one of the guards shouted as they started to converge.

_ Shit shit shit shit shit. _

Morgana tried to turn and run out the door, but more guards had appeared at the entrance and he ran right into them. He fell onto the floor and looked up at the guard towering over him.

Everything went black as the guard slammed it's shield into Morgana's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how long WAS he in that jail cell actually?


	8. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look who's here.

Morgana's eyes snapped open to the ceiling of a dingy jail cell. He sat up, immediately feeling the large bruise on his face, "Ughh.", Morgana groaned.

_ I'm back in here? _

He scanned his surroundings, seeing no differences from last time as far as he could remember. The screams of the volleyball members echoed from farther in, causing Morgana to grimace. He eyed the rotting bars of his cell.

A simple Garula could cut them up with no problem, but Morgana remembered that he only escaped from here the first time with Akira's and Ryuji's help so he should probably wait. He stood up and walked over to the bars and scanned outside; yep, the same. Morgana sighed, this is gonna be boring. He decided to walk over to the back of the cell and try and fall back asleep. He just had to wait for however long it took.

___

___

___

___

A familiar feeling woke Morgana up from his nth nap. The unique feeling of an awakening. 

_ They're here! Finally! _

He sprang up and rushed over to the bars and tried to see if he could spot any semblance of them. He could barely hear the shouting of Ryuji. It would take some time for them to get over here but Morgana felt giddy all the same. But he still felt hurt. They wouldn't recognize him. They wouldn't recognize eachother.

_ Focus on helping them escape first! Feel depressed later. _

Morgana heard rushed footsteps, snapping him out of his thoughts. They were close. He gripped the bars and tried to get a better view as the two came into sight.

"Another dead end?" the blond, short haired boy, Ryuji questioned. He stomped his foot in frustration, "Damnit! How the hell're we supposed to get outta here!?", he near shouted. "Hey you over there! Be quiet!" Morgana hissed. "Who..?" the black, bedhead hair boy, Akira asked while looking around.

Morgana hopped and waved his arms, "Look down here!" he whisper shouted. "What is this thing!?" Ryuji freaked out as he saw him, "I said be quiet! Now get me outta here, you two!", Morgana's voice started to raise. He was probably being too pushy. "Look, the key's right there!" he motioned.

"We're trying to get outta here!" Ryuji yelled back, "I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!". Akira just stared at Morgana with a strange look that Morgana couldn't place. "I'm  locked up  here, how can I be your enemy!? Help me out!" he shouted.

"Didn't you say to quiet down?" Akira smirked. "Dude how can you be so calm in a time like this..." Ryuji mumbled.

Clank, clank, clank.

The sounds of guards approaching echoed near by. They both checked their phones with Ryuji complaining about no service. "Ain't there a way to contact someone outside!?" he looked over to Akira, "How the hell do we get out!?".

Morgana hopped again, "Let me out and I'll take you there." he reasoned, "You don't want to get caught and executed, right?". Akira looked back over to Morgana, "You better not be lying." he said directly. "Why would I lie..!?" Morgana whined.

"This thing sounds like it's all talk..." Ryuji mumbled loud enough for them to hear. Morgana glared at him, a little hurt but he shook his head. "Go ahead and try to get out without my help, then!" he shouted.

Ryuji looked over to Akira, who was staring at Morgana again with that odd look, "What do we do?". Akira glanced up at Ryuji, "I don't think it's a trick.", he said and walked over to the key. "I-if you say so, man." Ryuji said, uncertainty lacing his voice.

Cla-klink!

The door squeaked open as the lock clicked open. Morgana rushed out and stretched, "Ahh, freedom tastes so great." The two just stared at him until Ryuji piped up, "Now, where the hell's the exit, you monster cat!?", he shouted in an annoyed tone. Morgana turned towards the blond, "I'm not a monster cat! I am Morgana!", he shouted back.

Ryuji glared at him, "Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?", he threatened. A fairly useless threat since Morgana can just cut the bars down. "Ok, ok! Follow me and stay quiet." he instructed as he ran down the path towards the drawbridge.

As they crossed it, Morgana heard the clanking of armor but before he say anything a guard turned the corner, Ryuji nearly crashing into it. "A-aah! Shit!" he yelled as he fell down in a panic, "Shit, it's them!"; Morgana jumped up onto Ryuji's shoulder to vault towards the guard. He spotted the blue flare of Akira changing into his thief outfit out the corner of his eye.

"Ryu- Blondie, get back!" Morgana shouted as Ryuji got up and hid behind a box. "You can fight, right?" he questioned knowingly while looking up at Akira, he nodded silently.

He could feel the power of Zorro growing inside him, ready for a fight.

"Come... ZORRO!" Morgana shouted as the liberating feeling of his persona appearing flowed through him. He smirked; he missed this feeling. "Y-you got one of those things too!?" Ryuji cried out in a panic. 

The guard in front of them burst into red and black liquid with two weaklings, Pyro-Jack and Incubus, appearing from it. "These Shadows aren't aiming to capture us anymore!" Morgana shouted towards Akira, "They're out for blood!". Zorro's stance wavered as he felt his heart hurt. He didn't realize it would be painful to see his old teammate and best friend in his Metaverse outfit. Morgana shook his head. He should be focused on the fight.

Akira looked slightly hesitant as the Shadows stood blocking their way. "Don't falter! Fight like your life depends on it! Because it does!" Morgana shouted. Akira nodded and summoned his persona.

"Arsene! Eiha!" Akira yelled, sending a blast of curse energy flying at the Pyro-Jack. The hit sent it careening towards the ground, causing it to yelp in pain on impact. Floating back up looking close it death, it glared at Akira with seething anger. Akira clicked his tongue at not being able to kill it.

"Let me show you how it's done!" Morgana bragged while he still had the opportunity. "Garula!" He shouted, vaporizing the poor thing with powerful slashes of wind. This clearly angered the Incubus, "My friend! How dare you!" it shouted and charged at Morgana, but it barely did anything.

Akira took the opportunity and attacked the Incubus from behind with his knife, stabbing through its back and through its chest. A critical hit, killing it instantly. "Nice!" Morgana praised as the red and black ashes fizzled out above him.

"W-what was that..?" Ryuji appeared behind them, bewildered. "Yeah, what  was  all that?" Akira echoed. "Persona. The manifestation of the heart." he explained smugly. "Y'mean those weird guys that appeared behind you two all dramatic-like?" Ryuji questioned, very confused, once again.Morgana noted that everything's been the same so far; they don't remember. 

He began to explain everything that just happened as they made their way to the room with their exit. Eventually they made it after another battle or two, "Alright you two, go through that vent up there and you can get out.", he explained. "What about you?" Akira asked with a worried look. "I'll be fine. Now leave!" Morgana told, trying to get them out to safety.

Eventually they went through the vent, leaving Morgana alone.

_ That... that...  _

He felt his ears and tail droop.

_ They don't remember... _

He should've expected it, but it still hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still mad at atlus for changing pyro-jack's name in p5 like... that just ruins his little naming dynamic with jack frost how dare you.
> 
> jack'o'lantern for an enemy name in a game like persona is dumb


	9. Returned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too curious for their own good.

After Morgana made sure the two had left, he turned to look around the outside of the castle. Making sure to stay out of sight this time, of course. Not that it was entirely necessary since the Shadows didn't usually leave the inside.

After finding a relatively safe and hidden spot to huddle into, Morgana sat down and tried to calm his nerves. His head raced with what ifs, stressing him out more than he should be.

_ No. They'll be fine. They'll come back. They're too curious... at least they should be... _

Morgana didn't realize he had fallen asleep from stress-induced exhaustion until he woke up from shouting near the castle entrance. He darted over and peeked around the wall to see an angry Ryuji. 

"Hey." Morgana hissed, "Stop being loud.", causing the two to whip around in surprise. "Ah... you..." Akira muttered, "Hey! The monster cat!" Ryuji shouted, earning a glare from Morgana.

"You'll alert the Shadows with how loud you're being." he hushed. "We gotta figure what the hell this place is!" Ryuji kept shouting, "He simply got curious." Akira corrected matter of factly. Ryuji looked over at him, betrayed.

_ Thank goodness they came back. _

"What is this place? ...Is it really the school?" Ryuji questioned, nervously looking up at the castle. Morgana stared at him, "I explained that to you while helping you escape. Did you really forget?"; Akira snickered at that. "I could see blurry visions of castle hallways while in school, so yea I'm pretty sure it's the school." Akira tried to calm him down. 

"You're pretty observant, frizzy-hair." Morgana told, "Or your heart is connected to the Metaverse more than the average person."; a question to delve into later. "But it's really a castle!?" Ryuji interrupts, immediately being shushed. Morgana nodded and turned back to Akira, "Because you also have a Persona, I'm recruiting you!" he exclaimed putting his paws on his hips. "Uh... sorry I'm not interested." Akira brushed him off quickly.

"Y-you didn't even hear me out..." Morgana whined. "Look I'm just here because Ryuji is essentially defenseless." Akira tried to console him. Suddenly a horrible scream echoed out, spooking the two. "What was that!?" Ryuji shouted as he looked around wildly, causing Morgana to wonder if he got a headache from it. Akira just shifted uncomfortably.

"It's the slaves in the dungeon. It's like this everyday." Morgana said, watching Ryuji closely. "F-for real!?" Ryuji said, his voice shaking slightly; another scream was heard, "Oh shit... It's for real!" realization washed through his expression, "Those other guys in the prison looked like kids from Shujin..." his fists clenched.

"Ryuji don't; we barely escaped last time." Akira ordered but he ignored it. "Because you two escaped, Kamoshida must have lost his temper." Morgana didn't need to say anything else for them to get it. "That son of a bitch!" Ryuji shouted.

"...This is bullshit!" he yelled as charged the door hitting it with his shoulder, "You hear me, Kamoshida!?", banging the door with his fist angrily. "Doing that won't do anything, you know..." Morgana muttered as he looks up to see Akira looking over to where they escaped. Morgana turned back towards Ryuji who was miserably trudging back to them, "You really want to try and go back there?", he knew why but he kept his mouth shut on that.

"Hey monamona, how do we get to where they're being held?" Ryuji questioned seriously. Akira sighed next to Morgana as he agreed to take them back to the dungeon. 

"Also, it's Morgana, not monamona."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, our first "for real".
> 
> i really didn't want to write through the whole "morgana explains what the hell is going on" part so you just get this.


	10. Distortions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kids see things. Cat explains things. Kind of.

As they entered through the vent, a small part of Morgana wondered why Akira was staring over here, but that wasn't important right now. He could hear Ryuji thanking Akira profusely for helping.

They landed back into an empty room and immediately Morgana gave orders, "Make sure to do everything I say so you don't get killed.". They both nodded, understanding how dangerous this place is. As he led the way into the foyer the two stopped, looking around in confusion, "What the..!?" Ryuji said in surprise, "I was seein' double just now..! Was that Shujin!?", Akira nodded.

"I told you before. This place is your school. You two must be able to see glimpses of it through the distortions because you're not from this world." Morgana attempted to explain. Ryuji looked at him in confusion while Akira nodded slowly, confused as well. "Regardless, we shouldn't stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might appear." he said as he continued on.

___

Eventually they reached the dungeons with Ryuji getting very mad at the disappearance of the prisoners. "Ryuji wait-!" Akira tried to stop him as he ran off looking for more further down the path. "How reckless..." Morgana muttered, "Yea, I've noticed." Akira sighed in reply.

"Guys! I heard a bunch of footsteps comin' this way!" Ryuji shouted as he ran back in a panic. Morgana looked around for the safe room, feeling the, admittedly addictive, tingle up his spine. Spotting the wavy door near Akira, "Guys, that door over there. Come on, we can hide in there." he said as he ran up to it. They nodded as they ran inside as the clanging footsteps approached.

"They won't follow us in here." he assured, "How can you be sure?" Akira pressed worriedly, "There's a lack of distortion. Meaning that the ruler has a lack of control here so the Shadows can't enter. Probably." Morgana explained as he watched them look around in surprise. "Is this a classroom!?" Ryuji questioned with Akira looking like he wanted to ask the same thing, "I guess? I can't see the glimpses for some reason, even though I can feel them." Morgana said.

Morgana then proceeded to explain in better detail the distortions and what this place was. Ryuji seethed. While Akira tried to calm him down, Morgana turned to him, "You must be curious about your clothes.", Akira nodded without looking over. "They're because of this world also. They protect you from the distortions since the ruler sees you as an enemy." Akira looked down at his body as Morgana spoke, "They also represent what you see a rebel as.", Ryuji groaned in confusion.

"A rebel?" Akira asked warily as Morgana nodded, "Yes, a strong will of rebellion.". Akira looked to the side, avoiding eye contact, "I'm supposed to keep my head down in school." his voice uncomfortable. "Even so, you have the heart of a rebel." Morgana smiled trying to comfort him, which miraculously worked.

"Uuugh, I'm so fed up with all of this!" Ryuji groaned, "I'm more curious about you than his clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?" he shouted. "That doesn't matter!" Morgana replied loudly, trying to deflect the question, "Anyways! We should get moving. We're going to end up battling at least  _ some _ Shadows so I'm counting on you." he pointed towards Akira. "Alright?" Akira replied in confusion.

_ Eh, good enough. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really don't know how to pace my writing but i've been complimented on it either way so what the hell i'll just keep on going till i crash.


	11. Captain Kidd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awakening to the Pirate Legend.

Before leaving the safe room, Ryuji revealed the fact he'd been carrying a gun on him. "H-have you been carrying that on you  _ all day _ !? At  _schoo_ l !?" Akira exclaimed in concern. "I mean... it's just a toy so..." Ryuji tried to reason. "It looks real enough to get you in trouble!" Akira hissed and glared at Ryuji.

"It doesn't shoot anything though..." Ryuji complained at his gun being confiscated. "Actually, it probably can shoot bullets in the Metaverse." Morgana told, earning confused looks, "Well, if the Shadows think it's real then their cognition will make it real.", he said. Akira hesitatingly shrugged and looked over to Ryuji, "Wanna shoot some of those bastards?" he asked, offering the gun back. Ryuji smirked, "Hell yea!".

They carefully left the room with Morgana leading them further in while avoiding any Shadows they could. The fights they did end up in, Morgana and Akira easily took them out with Ryuji shooting the enemies at any chance he could.

___

While heading down the stairs to enter the area where the prisoners were, more screams could be heard. They came across the first set of bars and peered in to see the horrific torture of students. Morgana looked up at the two as Ryuji seethed and Akira avoided looking at the scene.

"Damnit! This is bullshit!" Ryuji shouted out angrily, "Be quiet, idiot!" Morgana scolded. "This is horrible..." Akira muttered out, wincing at each scream. "You've seen them, now let's go." Morgana said with worry, "We don't know when the guards will come back." He'd already noticed subtle changes from last time, especially with Akira, so he didn't know if guards would come back earlier or not.

"We gotta get them outta here!" Ryuji began to search desperately for a way to open it. "Stop it..!" a pitiful voice caught their attention, "Leave us alone... It's useless..." a heavily bandaged boy staggered towards them. "Huh!? But you gu-" Ryuji tried say but was cut off, "If we stay obedient, we won't get executed like you guys!" another one walked up.

"You want to stay in a place like this?" Akira questioned with a concerned expression. "Come on! We gotta get you guys outta here!" Ryuji shouted; a miracle that no one noticed. "That won't do anything. They're not real." Morgana tried to reason making him to turn with an angry expression. "What do you mean!? I'm not gonna just abandon these guys!" he shouted, garnering attention this time.

"They're only humans made up in Kamoshida's cognition. There's no point in trying to save them." Morgana tried to explain as he attempted to usher the two back the way they came, "Now come on, Ryuji's shouting alerted the guards. We have to leave.", he ignored Ryuji's complaining as Akira helped with dragging him away.

They ran back the way they came, Ryuji complaining the entire way. Once they reached the foyer they were stopped by a group of guards. In the middle of their half-circle, Kamoshida in all his... ew.  Clad only in a thick red robe and an uncomfortably small bright pink speedo, he stared at the three of them with those glowing yellow eyes all Shadows had.

"...You knaves again?" he approached with a sneer, "To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless.". Ryuji stomped his foot in anger, "The school ain't your castle!" he shouted in reply, angering the wanna-be king. "Oh, how far the star runner of the track team has fallen." Kamoshida antagonized, garnering a growl from Ryuji. "What the hell're you gettin' at!?" he shouted back at the smirking man.

"I'm simply speaking of when the "Track Traitor" acted in violence, dragging his poor teammates down with him." Kamoshida taunted. "Ryuji..?" Akira asked slowly, causing Kamoshida to laugh, "What a surprise. You've been accompanying him without knowing anything at all?", he stalked forward, stopping uncomfortably close. 

"He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever." Kamoshida insults as he towers over Akira as if he were prey to be abused as well, causing him to back up slightly, his expression unmoving but clenched fists and shoulders trembling. Morgana silently prepares an extra strong Garula to protect his friend until out of nowhere, Ryuji charges directly into Kamoshida, knocking him over with a pretty pitiful yelp.

"Get the fuck away from him, you abusive piece of shit!" Ryuji shouted, his voice breaking from the effort of being as loud as possible. Immediately the guards were surrounding the three of them as Kamoshida staggered onto his feet, clutching his shoulder. "G-get rid of them!" he shouted in a panic, "Kill them!", the guards approached, "Yes sir!" they all shouted.

It was a blur of swords, horns, and hooves and before he knew it, him and Akira were pinned to the ground with the bastard's foot digging into his back. "I bet you only came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn't that right?" Kamoshida sneered towards Ryuji, who was still free, now that he had the upper hand. "No..." Ryuji whimpered, "What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly..." he continued, "How dare you raise your hand at me.".

Kamoshida mocked a pout, "Though it was only temporary, have you already forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?", Ryuji slammed his fist to the ground, "Wasn't no practice-it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" he shouted back. Kamoshida scoffed, "It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is  me !", the guards surrounding them cheered.

"And had that fired coach not dared to oppose me, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg." Kamoshida laughed, Ryuji stared at him, "Should I break your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!", Morgana was feeling extremely agitated at this. "Damnit... Am I gonna lose again..?" Ryuji muttered, looking dejected. Morgana squirmed, wanting to help his friend but only getting a heel pressing harder against his back.

"Not only can I not run anymore... the track team is gone too 'cause of this asshole..." Ryuji sounded like he was on the verge of tears, "Ryuji-" Morgana tried to shout out to him but was interrupted by Kamoshida's foot digging deeper against his back, almost pressing against his spine. "Once these two are dealt with, you're next." he sneered, then laughed. "Stand up for yourself!" Akira, who had been silent this entire time, shouted out, causing Ryuji to look over to him. "...You're right." his voice growing determined, "Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back!" his voice growing louder.

"Stay there and watch." Kamoshida ordered, "Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.", they all watched as Ryuji stood up from being crouched down pitifully. "No... That's what you are..." Ryuji muttered loud enough for them to hear, "All you think about is using people... You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" he shouted out.

"What are you doing? Silence him!" Kamoshida ordered nervously as Ryuji advanced towards him. "Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" Ryuji said as he pointed right at him, determination in his voice.

_** "You made me wait quite a while." ** _

"A-Aaagh!" Ryuji cried out in pain, clutching his head like it was about to split open. Falling to the ground the voice with no source echoed out again.

**_ "You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact." _ **

Ryuji struggled in pain on the ground on his elbows and knees.

_** "Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?" ** _

Ryuji fell, writhing in pain onto his back.

_** "The "other you" who exists within desires it thus..." ** _

Ryuji screamed.

**_ "I am thou, thou art I..." _ **

Forcing himself onto hands and knees with tears streaming down his face, Ryuji stared directly towards Kamoshida.

**_ "There is no turning back..." _ **

Blue flames cover Ryuji's face.

**_ "The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" _ **

A skull mask forms onto Ryuji's face.

The gold guard ontop of Akira glances over, "Hmph. What can you do?" it says, uninterested, "Cower in fear and watch!" it raises it's sword, intending to slice at Akira. Ryuji staggers onto his feet, clutching at his mask, "Aah..." he groans as he begins to pull and rip it off his face. With a final pull, "Nnnngh...Hraaaaaaaaagh!", he screams out as he rips it off, sending blood everywhere around him and leaving blood surrounding his eyes.

A pillar of blue fire shoots up around him, the wind from it blowing the guards and Kamoshida back from Morgana and Akira, letting them get up. As the fire faded into just surrounding Ryuji, a large pirate wearing a red cape and a cannon for a hand standing on a pirate ship floated behind him. Ryuji lifted his head from his slumped stance with a smug grin, glaring right at Kamoshida.

"Right on... Wassup, Persona..." Ryuji said as he raised his hands to look at his gloves. "This fuckin' rocks!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Now that I got this power, it's time for payback..." he growled. "Yo, I'm ready... " he punched his fist into his palm, that smile still plastered on his face. "Bring it!" Ryuji shouted, with Morgana and Akira by his side, they assumed battle stances.

The golden guard burst into a large horse, ridden by a man in red armor with horns and wielding a spear. "Blast him away... Captain Kidd!" Ryuji shouted, send a bolt of lightning shooting towards the Eligor. While not weak to it, it did significant damage, letting Morgana and Akira move in to hit it with their own attacks. The Eligor summoned some Bicorn as backup but Ryuji easily took care of them with his Zio.

The Eligor kept ranting as they fought that they were not welcome and just "trouble maker scum", Morgana couldn't help but laugh internally at its desperation at defending the Shadow that's imprisoned it. 

"I serve our glorious King Kamoshida... so then... why... have I lost..." it groaned as they beat it, "Just proves Kamoshida ain't anything special." Ryuji said proudly.

Once the Shadow disappeared, Ryuji almost collapsed, only being held up by Akira. "How 'bout that!?" he shouted through his panting, Akira simply smiled at their victory. "Good job guys!" Morgana exclaimed, "But uh... we should probably get out of here." he glanced over towards Kamoshida, still standing there smugly despite his guard captain being beat.

"Even if you apologize now... I ain't forgivin' you!" Ryuji shouted at him angrily. "This is my castle. It seems you still don't understand that." Kamoshida said smugly, annoying the three of them. Suddenly a scantily clad girl with blonde pigtails, wearing only a thin purple bikini and cat ears strolled casually up to Kamoshida, immediately latching onto him.

"Wh- Takamaki!?" Ryuji questioned in surprise, pushing off of Akira; Morgana kept his mouth shut from saying anything about her looks. "What's going on here? She looks our age..." Akira growled out in disgust, causing Morgana to look over at him curiously. Akira shook his head, "This feels off." he watched her face suspiciously, "Even though it was brief, she really didn't seem like this when I saw her yesterday." he told them all. Kamoshida raised his hand to cup the girl's chin, smirking, "Let go of her!" Ryuji shouted angrily at the motion.

"This is  _ my _ castle-a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me." he gloated, "...That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you." he scoffed. "Takamaki! Say somethin'!" Ryuji cried out, "She's just another cognition of his, Ryuji. She's not the real one." Morgana tried to calm him down. "Are you jealous?" Kamoshida taunted, "Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you.", Ryuji clenched his fists and grit his teeth, trying not to get angry.

"Clean them up this instant." Kamoshida ordered as more guards materialized, immediately advancing towards them. "We need to get out of here before we're surrounded." Morgana urged the two, "We're not gonna do anyth-" Ryuji tries to argue but is grabbed by Akira and dragged back towards the room with the vent, following Morgana.

___

They eventually end up outside, panting due to the high speed they ran and other reasons. Morgana panting because of his tiny legs, Akira panting because he was dragging Ryuji, and Ryuji panting because of his recent awakening to a Persona. "Are you guys alright?" Akira asked as he stood up, recovering much better than other two somehow. They nodded but Ryuji glared at Akira, most likely mad at being stopped from trying to save the fake Lady Ann. 

Akira looked back at him but ended up looking him up and down, making Ryuji realize his clothes had changed, "Hey, I don't remember changin' into this." he looked at himself as best he could without a mirror. "It definitely fits you." Akira attempted to praise, "Is that a compliment?" Ryuji asked unsurely. "Did you find them!?" the voice of guards sounded out nearby, alerting the three. "Quiet." Morgana hushed as the voices neared, "You guys need to leave, quickly." he tried to tell to get them to safety.

Akira nodded and looked over to Ryuji who seemed hesitant, "But the others..." he tried to complain but jumped in surprise as Akira was suddenly very close to him. "Fine, fine." he gave in and turned to the exit. Akira began to follow but stopped and looked back, "What about you?" he asked with concern. "Ah, I'll be fine." Morgana tried to say but Akira wasn't having it and then he was in the air without his consent. "Huh!? Wait what are you doing!? Put me down!" Morgana shouted in protest, Akira simply ignored him and carried him towards the exit.

The slight dizziness of entering or exiting the Metaverse hit them as they ended up where the two had entered, an alleyway outside Shujin. Apparently the effects of exiting were increased with no contact to the ground, due to being held up by his scarf, since Morgana felt himself passing out as soon as they entered the real world. The last thing he heard was Ryuji's shocked, "Wait... Morgana!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #LetRyujiSayFuck


	12. Leblanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sojiro accepts the fact that the cat is here to stay.

Everything felt numb. As Morgana gradually gained consciousness, he could hear more and more of Akira's and Ryuji's conversation. Sitting on one of the benches of a train station, they were discussing everything that had happened; "...and hell, you even brought the damn cat out of there?", Ryuji grumbled. "He was in danger. What else was I supposed to do?" Akira countered, causing Ryuji to sigh.

"Mrrrrr..." Morgana groaned as he tried to move, alerting the two. "Oh, he's waking up." Akira noticed while Morgana forced his eyes open to see the two staring at him. He felt himself being picked up again, "Ahh noo, not again!" he whined and squirmed as best he could, causing Akira to drop him back onto his lap. "Uh... did the cat just talk?" Ryuji questioned in disbelief, "Yea..." Akira nodded, equally surprised. Morgana managed to sit up properly, numbness gone, and glared at Akira.

"What the hell!? I would've been fine in there!" he yowled, "I'm strong enough!", he felt a finger against his mouth. "I don't doubt your strength." Akira hushed, "But um... why did you turn into a normal cat? And how can you talk like this?" he asked. Morgana huffed, "Because you heard me talking in the Metaverse, your cognition accepts me being able to talk in the real world." he explained quietly, "Other people just hear a meowing cat.". "So we're gonna look insane if we talk to you?" Ryuji asked, still wide-eyed.

"Not my problem." he looked directly into Akira's eyes, "Why'd you have drag me out of the palace? If you wanted me to come along, you should've just asked.", Akira just narrowed his eyes, "You brushed it off.", he flattened his ears. "Ah... right..." he muttered, "But seriously!? What are we supposed to do 'bout this!?" Ryuji interrupted, "He's a cat. We can't just leave him to fend for himself but..." he stopped as the crowd grew thicker. They looked up at the crowd and Akira grimaced, "We should go somewhere else.", Ryuji nodded.

___

Morgana enjoyed being back in Akira's bag; the soothing dark, the nice feeling fabric, and the swaying, albeit rough at this point in time, as he walked. He didn't realize he'd missed this so much. "Man, I feel like I'm goin' insane with all this..." Ryuji mumbled as they walked to a more secluded area. "It is pretty hard to believe." Akira replied, looking at the bag toting the very talkative cat. "You just need to accept it." Morgana sighed, poking his head out. "Hey, you didn't actually answer my other question. Why are you a normal cat now?" Akira asked again, expecting answer Morgana didn't have.

"I don't know. I'm not omniscient." Morgana replied, earning a sigh from both of them. "Anyways! What do we do 'bout him?" Ryuji raised his voice and gestured towards Morgana, "My mom's allergic to cats, so I can't take him.", he looked over towards Akira. The both of them watched as Akira played with his bangs, thinking, "I'll see what I can do, but I don't know if Sakura-san will allow it, since I live above his cafe." he replied, tugging at his hair.

"I mean... that's good enough." Ryuji shrugged and looked back over to Morgana, "If Akira can't take care of you, you're able to take care of yourself, right?" he asked in concern, surprising Morgana. He hmphed proudly, "Of course I can! But uh...yeah, I'd prefer actual shelter." he backpedaled immediately. Akira and Ryuji laughed making Morgana pout, "Aw come on," Akira comforted, reaching towards his shoulder to scratch Morgana's head, "I'm at least not laughing  at you.". "Hey!" Ryuji whined at the implication.

They decided to head home, the two talking about teenager stuff with Morgana quipping in occasionally. Ryuji eventually split off from them as they hit his stop, leaving Akira and Morgana alone on their way to Yongen-Jaya. "So others really can't hear you?" Akira asked without looking down at the bag on his lap, "All they hear is a meowing cat." Morgana replied matter of factly. Akira watched the crowd around them, "Only people that've been to the other world can hear you talk?" he asked while still not looking down, "Yes." Morgana replied again. "Hm." he hummed thoughtfully.

___

As they left the station at Yongen-Jaya, "Make sure to stay quiet and hidden. I don't know what'll happen if Sakura-san discovers you." Akira orders. Making sure Morgana cooperates before opening the door to Leblanc, letting the smell of coffee and curry wash over the both of them. Morgana felt the bittersweet sting of nostalgia at the smell and the all around feeling of the place. "Stay upstairs while we're open for business." he heard the familiarly gruff voice of Sojiro, ordering Akira around.

As he felt Akira quickly hurry past, towards the stairs to the attic, he heard a woman's voice striking conversation with Sojiro. Due to the bag being closed he couldn't see who it was, and Akira wasn't going to help him out with getting an answer. Akira wasn't used to having Morgana in his bag yet, so the ride up the creaky stairs was fairly rough, luckily it was a short ride up and he was soon let out onto the poor excuse of a bed. He jumped out and stretched his limbs exaggeratedly, stifling a yawn. Finished, Morgana sat down and looked around the attic.

_ Haru would have his head if she saw this mess. _

Morgana thought in humor, "Yeah yeah, I know it's a mess. I've only been here a few days, give me a break." Akira sighed, seeing Morgana look around. "Yep, it definitely is a mess." he jokingly teased him until he heard the stairs creak. Instinctively flattening himself to the bed as Sojiro walked up to the two, "Hey are you-" he was about to say something but spotted Morgana, "I was wondering why I heard meowing while coming up here..." he said. Akira looked back and forth between the two, "He was abandoned..." he told Sojiro, trying to convince him. "That's... That's a shame." Sojiro sighed, "But this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go..." he stopped and looked at Morgana, considering. "Though I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of..." he sighed, "Fine.".

"But keep it quiet when we're open for business." Sojiro ordered, "And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out." they both nodded, earning Morgana a curious look from him. "And taking care of it is all on you." he told Akira before turning around to head down the stairs. Morgana and Akira let out a sigh of relief, "Despite keeping you cramped up in an attic, he's pretty understanding." Morgana looked over at Akira, "Nice quick thinking on your part." he praised. Before Akira could respond, Sojiro came back with a plate of small bits of meat on it, "Seriously... It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice..." he groaned.

He set it down on the bed and turned to talk to Akira, which Morgana only heard bits and pieces of as he was too busy stuffing his face. Something about Sojiro wanting to name him or something. He didn't realize he was  really hungry since in the Metaverse, hunger isn't really a thing usually. So in technicality, he hadn't eaten in many days. Morgana finished his meal in an almost unnatural speed, the two hadn't even finished their conversation when he was done so he lay down on his stomach and watched them. He wasn't really paying attention though so when Akira nodded and promised something, Sojiro seemed satisfied and turned to head out, he stopped zoning out.

"Make sure to clean that plate." Sojiro said as he disappeared down the stairs, Akira looked over in surprise at the empty plate. "Jesus cat, did you even taste it?" he asked jokingly as he picked it up, "I haven't eaten in days, what do you expect." he sighed happily and sleepily, "By the way, your bed is horrible." causing Akira to chuckle. "I'm on probation, so of course I'm not going to get the greatest treatment." he sighed as he went downstairs to clean the plate. Morgana stared at where Akira had disappeared from sight, the upset expression he had hurt Morgana as well, knowing he couldn't do anything to change that past.

Luckily those thoughts slipped away from him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He heard Akira come back up and felt him sit down next to him. Akira petting him gently felt nice and eventually he fell asleep, not waking up even when being moved so Akira could lay down as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't wait to write more coffee dad :D


	13. The Rally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the volleyball rally.

The early morning rays of sunshine shone through the window above their bed, waking Morgana up. He lifted his head from being curled tightly into a ball of fur, and looked around, noticing Akira was still asleep next to him. He stood up and stretched, pushing his forepaws against Akira's arm to try and annoy him awake. "Wake up Akira." he said simply as he moved closer and began smacking his face with his paws, which luckily worked.

"Hmnnrg I knoowww..." Akira whined as he shifted, trying to avoid the relentless attack. He groggily sat up and glared at Morgana, who returned it with a smug grin. Yawning, Akira got up off the bed and staggered over to the box with his clothes. Morgana jumped off the bed and headed over to where Akira had placed his school bag last night and sat next to it. After finishing putting on his school uniform, Akira walked over to grab his bag but before he could, Morgana hopped into it. "Animals aren't allowed at school." he said flatly, "I'll stay hidden." Morgana replied, equally as flat.

He just sighed and grabbed the bag with the cat in it, and walked down the stairs. Luckily the bag wasn't closed completely this time so Morgana could see that Sojiro was shuffling around in the kitchen, "Oh, kid." he said, summoning Akira over, "Eat up before customers start coming." he said as he placed a plate of curry and a cup of coffee on the counter and went back to whatever he was doing. Akira looked at him in surprise, "O-oh t-thank you, Sakura-san." he thanked quickly and went to eat.

___

They were headed down the street leading towards Shujin Academy when Ryuji ran up to them, not knowing Morgana was in the bag. "Hey man!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Akira's shoulders, "Did you get to keep Morgana?" he asked. "Yes." he replied andshook Ryuji's arm off. "Don't shake so roughly!" Morgana complained as he stuck his head out of the bag and swatted at Akira's ear. "Woah, holy shit dude." Ryuji stared at the pouting cat, "Before you say anything, he forced me to take him along." Akira interrupted.

_ There was no fight. _

Morgana slipped back in, chuckling. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays hidden." Akira reassured Ryuji, who was still wearing a concerned look. Before he could reply, they reached the school gates and had to split off to their respective classes. But not before Ryuji essentially forced Akira into agreeing to helping him find the abused students at the volleyball rally that was happening today.

During the school day, Morgana had curled up into Akira's desk to stay hidden but still able to watch him. Akira was absentmindedly playing with the curls that were his bangs, jolting in surprise whenever he was called on. Even though he was able to answer the questions correctly, Morgana could still tell that most of the teachers had it out for him, except maybe Ms. Kawakami, but she was just always exhausted so it was hard to tell.

By the time lunch period had come, Akira was visibly trying to stop himself from tugging at his hair, but clearly failing. "Hey, are you alright?" Morgana whispered as he reached a paw out to tap Akira's arm. "S-sorry... nervous habit." he muttered, avoiding eye contact and lowering his arm. Morgana frowned and slid slightly out of the desk so he could bump his head against Akira, attempting to comfort him. Akira just smiled at him and held his bag up to his desk, "Come on, we should move somewhere else." he whispered out. Morgana nodded and slid into it.

_ He's definitely different. _

___

When Akira let him out again, they were at a small, slightly secluded area with two vending machines, some benches, and a small circular table you'd see in a cafeteria. Akira sat down at the table, placing the bag down, and pulling out some slightly squished food. "Sorry I crushed it." Morgana apologized, watching him unwrap it, "It's fine, food is food." Akira replied without looking up at him as he began to eat. Morgana watched him with concern as he quickly ate it as if it were going to disappear.

"Oh, hey man. Hey cat." they both raised their heads as Ryuji arrived. He sighed as he walked over to get a drink, but instead just sat in front of the vending machines, "You look nervous... I'm guessin' that's my fault? For forcin' you to help me?" Ryuji spoke, not exactly a question, but not exactly a statement. Akira just nodded and rested his head on his arm on the table, reaching over with his other arm to pet Morgana's head. "Wow, blunt." Ryuji said, kind of surprised at the lack of a worded reply.

Akira hummed in agreement, just not wanting to talk it seemed and began playing with his bangs. So they sat in silence. "Ryuji? Have you eaten? You don't seem to have any food on you right now." Morgana questioned, trying to be nice, but to also break the stressful silence, "Oh, don't worry, I ate in the classroom, just forgot to bring a drink." they began talking, with Morgana keeping an eye on Akira. Eventually the bell rang, and Akira immediately stood up, opening his bag and letting Morgana jump in.

They decided to walked together towards the gymnasium, which was probably already full of bustling students excited for the rally. Unfortunately they had to drop their bags off at their respective classrooms. Akira was kind enough to release Morgana out into the courtyard once they realized this. Being alone, he decided to explore, eventually wandering near the gymnasium, and heard the din of teenagers playing and watching volleyball. He found a window and watched through it, while still being hidden enough to not be spotted.

As soon as he looked in, he watched Kamoshida spike directly into one of the student's face, sending him to the ground. Kamoshida stood there just looking at the child before deciding to keep his image and rushed over, feigning concern. He couldn't hear them but he knew that whatever he was saying, that bastard didn't care. He spotted Akira and Ryuji off to the side, and he could see the enraged expression on Ryuji's face as he tossed the volleyball back into the court.

_ Don't worry guys, we'll definitely change his heart. _

___

After a while, he watched the two leave, sneaking away to search for the abused students. He darted off, heading back to the area with the vending machines, knowing they'll probably be there. "... just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego." he ran up to the two while Ryuji was complaining, "And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an absolute douchebag!" he growled. "Yeah, I saw that." Morgana spoke, causing both of them to look down at him in surprise, "I was watching through a window." he explained.

"Then you saw how much of an asshole he is, not just in that other world." Ryuji said, "Well... now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday." Akira nodded, no longer nervous about this it seemed. "I probably won't be able to help..." Morgana sighed as Ryuji continued to talk. "All the members of the team should be here today. They're all pretty much bein' abused-", Akira cut in, "so no need to try and remember the slaves..." Ryuji shuddered slightly at the memory. "I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole." Ryuji growled under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angy ryuji


End file.
